Blog December Post 8 - Born to Read

Yesterday I visited my parents down at their caravan and dad was in the van, on the bed reading a book.  This prompted me to think about how, growing up as a kid, I saw my parents read a lot.  My dad would sit in the lounge and read a book often, mum would wait till she was going to bed.

There was a period of time where I don't remember seeing mum read books, but she now reads more frequently then when I was growing up.

The point being is that I grew up in a family of readers.  My brother and sister read a lot and of course, that meant that I ended up a reader.  Although I have heard of cases where everyone reads in the family but one member doesn't so perhaps reading doesn't automatically flow on from having a family of readers - but I'm sure it helps.

As any reader, I have fond memories of books.  I remember when I was very little we went into Brisbane - which was a big thing for us as we didn't go there much as kids.  And it must have been around Christmas time as I remember lots of decorations hanging across the road. 

We went into a book store and all of us kids were allowed to buy a book.  I bought The Clock Book about how to tell the time.  I believe my sister bought Amelia Bedelia - I really love that book!!

Later I remember Tiki Tiki Tembo.

And Meg and Mog.

At school we had book club and mum allowed us to purchase a book each time.  They were all Penguin books and would come in a plastic bag with a Penguin logo on it - I loved getting book club!!

Now I love sharing the joy of reading with my daughter - who apparently could read before starting school but would never read to me - just to everyone else!!

I have already shared with her some of my favourite childhood books but Tiki Tiki Tembo I haven't been able to locate and buy yet, nor the original Amelia Bedelia.

Anyway, it seems apt to put some reading memory post in as the National Year of Reading comes to a close.

What are your reading memories?

Blog December Post 7 - Professional Identity/Branding

There have been a few discussions/articles floating around of late concerning professional identity and branding.

This came through my feed last night - Building your professional presence

I don't think too hard about how I come across to people on my networks.  However, I do try to remain professional even when putting slightly personal things out there.  I suppose in the social media sense, I have a line that I try not to cross.

That said, with this blog I mix it up between professional and personal.  And honestly, I find at times when I'm trying to write something along the lines of being professional, I don't regard my writing ability to be professional.  You see that last sentence probably didn't even make sense.

I follow a lot of blogs by fellow library professionals and I am continually floored at how well some people manage to put their thoughts/arguments/opinions out there.  I try to do that but more than often my words get caught up and I possibly don't make much sense.

I also try to find interesting things to discuss on this blog and share articles on interest on Twitter.  But I think that there are people out there that are much better at this professional identity/branding thing than I am - possibly because as I said before, I don't think too hard about it.

I suppose with me, I am what I am and I try hard not to be someone I'm not so you can often tell when I'm trying too hard!  Again you are possibly lost at what I just said!!

You see that is my main problem - forming a post that actually makes sense.  When I'm exercising I often come up with some really good posts (ok I think they are good) and then when I sit down to write them, I'm at a loss.

It could be that I do posts in the morning which means I'm rushed for time - but as a mother and full time working, when am I not rushed for time.

Regardless, the article mentioned above does make you stop and think about your professional networks and how you come across to others.  So I recommend you have a read and then think about your own professional networks and whether you do have an identity or brand that you try to put out there.

Blog December Post 6 - Tomorrow's Library

The future library trend continues into today's post as Victoria releases stage 1 of the Tomorrow's Library report.

The key finds state:

The environment in which public libraries operate is changing rapidly. It is challenging for public library services to keep pace with changes in technology and the phasing out of obsolescent technology. Identifying emerging trends and changes can be difficult, as is anticipating the impact on library usage, particularly for smaller services. There is an ad hoc approach to implementing new services. For example, some public libraries are providing commercially acquired ebooks while others are not.

The future of public library services is set to be exciting and innovative. To ensure public libraries remain valued and treasured public institutions, they must continue to adapt and evolve. At the same time, public libraries must continue to deliver high-quality services that meet the needs of their communities. It is important that public libraries position themselves to adequately embrace and meet the challenges of the future. 

The MAC concluded that the public library sector needs to increase collaboration and take a unified, strategic approach if it is to effectively adapt to the future and remain relevant in a globalised, digital world.

The statewide initiatives and responsibilities include:

·      Increase accessibility to a quality statewide collection developed and owned by local government.

·      Establish a statewide languages other than English (LOTE) collection.

·      Improve access to the statewide interlibrary loan service.

·      Expand the statewide courier system to more efficiently deliver interlibrary loan requests.

·      Develop a common platform for digital material consisting of two parts: access to downloadable ebooks and eresources and digitised local history and heritage material.

·      Establish a single library management system.

·      Investigate best value collection procurement options.

·      Establish common processing and cataloguing practices.

·      Deliver shelf-ready material directly to branches.

·      Install RFID readers at all public library services and tag all items in the statewide collection.

·      Develop one library card with local branding.

·      Develop a single discovery layer and integrated content management system.

·      Develop a Victorian Library app.

·      Establish a Victorian Library social media presence.

·      Investigate central procurement options for hardware (computers, tablets, eresources) and other services.

They also go on to talk about a statewide marketing approach.

These are all great ideas and I am wondering if other states will follow and do a review/report on their library services.

Blog December Post 5 - Future vs Reality

So I really did post yesterday's post before reading the latest issue of Incite.

If you haven't read it yet, it discusses the future of libraries.

In the Opinion piece, Seth Godin says: The next library is a place, still.  A place where people come together to do co-working and coordinate and invent projects worth working on together.

My question back would be, what happens to all the libraries that exist that do not have the space to be a place where people come together to do co-working and coordinate and invent projects?  I have branch libraries that you can barely swing a cat around in - and I can't really believe that the book collection will shrink so much that we can remove the shelves and become a space.

Who will fund the new furniture and technology required to become this.  With local, state and federal budgets being so tight and libraries being at the end of the priority line - where will the money come from to create these spaces??

While I do see new libraries moving this way - what happens to the old?  Do those communities miss out because of lack of funding?

Or in my case we have youth hubs popping up that are providing those spaces for the youth - what of the library?

And then I go back to looking at my libraries and I don't see people using the library space as a space they come together to work.  I see the library space where people use the public computers, sit and read the paper but the majority come in, choose their books and leave.

Another article mentions offering programs.  What of the one person library?  I have a branch where I can't even offer storytime because we don't have the funding to provide an extra staff member for an hour a week to provide this service.

I've been told to use volunteers but we have tried this in the past and it is not sustainable as the volunteer eventually moves on or wants to be paid.

I don't mean to be negative, and I'm happy for people to come back at me with "buts" and suggestions.  Today I just have an issue with looking past the reality of our situation.  And I'm sure I'm not the only one.

I am optimistic that one day the funding will rain on us and we will build new buildings enabling us to be creating spaces and have more than one staff working.

But unfortunately, today the realist in me spoke!!

Blog December Day 4 - It's the end of the (library) world as we know it - and I feel fine!

This morning I was going through my RSS feeds and came across a post from the What's Next: Top Trends blog which showed an extinction timeline.

According to this timeline by 2019 libraries will be extinct.

Of course, this is not the first time we as library professionals have heard/read/talked about the demise of libraries, but honestly, I'm a bit over it all.

If I had a dollar for everytime I've been introduced to someone as a librarian and they have said to me - well with eBooks libraries aren't going to be around anymore.  Prior to that it was - well with Google libraries aren't going to be around anymore.  The same can be said with any major technological change that impacts on what libraries do and how we do it.

Well sorry everyone but libraries are bloody good at taking advantage of these changes and running with them.

However, I must stop and make comment based on my own library community.  While some libraries have found that their members are ready to jump on the eBook wagon and embrace eReaders, tablets and iPads - I find that my own library community are still embracing the print book and traditional library services.

You may say, but Sharon, they may be ready but may not be coming into the library.  All those with eReaders and tablets may be buying online and satisfying their information needs in a different manner than walking into the physical library.  That may well be but in the four years I've been working in my library community, I have not noticed people not coming into the library - in fact I would say more are coming into the library. 

I have had a handful of people ask about eBooks because they have purchased a Kindle - and guess what??  While they purchase eBooks via Amazon, they also continue to borrow print books!!

So while we may often get caught up in the doom and gloom of possible extinction - I think there is still something to say with the traditional services we provide - they are still relevant.  And I actually think that in the future there will be a move away from technology and people will be wanting to get back to basics.  Or we may even be forced to turn away from technology due to economic or environmental reasons.

I know this might be a little bit left of centre but one of the more successful shops in our little town of Bellingen is the Bellingen Sweet Shop.  And guess what?  It is set up in the old fashioned traditional way the sweet shops used to be and you can also purchase the sweets you used to buy as a child those many years ago.

So my bet is that in 2019, there will still be libraries and there will still be print books and traditional library services!!

Blog December Day 3 - The best library is an empty one

Ok so some of you are probably thinking I have lost the plot after reading the title of this blog post.  I assure you I haven't but I am wondering if by the end of my post you will agree with that statement.

Anyway, I was umming and aaahhing about what to blog about this morning, so I thought, since it's coming up to Christmas, often it means that libraries start to slow down.  Ok, not public libraries as they start to offer school holiday programs, but I do remember my days in an academic library and Christmas was always a time to tidy things up or shift things around.  Mainly because there was less students around so less disruption to them.

Where I work, all the branches are closed on Monday's.  I don't want it to be this way but it is so I work with it.  My other staff do not work Monday's but I do (although the public always tell me that it is so good that I get Monday's off - I do try to correct them but they think that there is no work to do in a library when it is closed).  So this is what brings me to - the best library is an empty one.

For me Monday's are my catch up day.  I can plough through my "to do" list in record time without interuptions.  I can fix any public computer problems because I'm not disturbing anyone.  I can weed collections without having anyone look over my shoulder.  But best of all I can have quiet time!!

Some may question that working in a library should be pretty quiet anyway.  Those working in public libraries will understand that this is not the case.  While we don't let noise get to a disruptive level, there is always the quiet chatter, the tapping of keyboard keys, the hum of staff talking to library users.  So on Monday's there is none of that.  There is also no interuptions!!

So on Monday's I allow myself the thought of the best library is an empty one!!  But of course, on every other day the best library is a full one!!

Blog December Day 2 - eBook Dilema

In library land we hear about ebooks and the library dilema almost everyday.  There are articles, blog posts, tweets, and discussions in the library about it all the time.

This blog post is not about the ebooks and library dilema.  This is about my ebook dilema.

Now I have a tablet and it has a Kindle app on it and Bluefire Reader so I get the best of both ebook formats.  I take advantage of the free to low price of ebooks available and never pay anything over $10 for an ebook and that is only on the very rare occassion - I have issues paying over $5 for an ebook.

My collection has built up quite quickly - mainly due to my Rural Romance Readers and Writers, Romance Readers and Writers, Indie Authors and Australian Romance Readers Association links via Facebook and email lists - you would not believe how many suggestions of what to read pass through these channels on a daily basis and how many of them are free!!

So now I have my dilema.  I have read some really great reads in ebook format and normally, when I buy print I will then pass them on to a friend or donate them to the library.  So what do I do with my ebooks??  I can't pass them on to a friend - unless someone has worked out how to do that and would like to share with me???  And I can't donate them to the library.  Do I delete them?  Do I keep them on my tablet thinking I may read them again??

I feel like I have not completed my reading journey or duty of sharing these wonderful books with someone else.  I mean some of them are free so I could just say to friends, "you should download this book," but it really doesn't work for me, as a lot of my friends do not have ereaders.  And what about the poor library that is missing out on these wonderful donations???

So that is my ebook dilema!!

On a side note, we are in for another hot day today.  Due to chores I couldn't make it down the beach yesterday, but I plan on hitting the surf before lunch today as we are supposed (please please please) have some rain/storms from lunch time onwards.